Yayasan OBYU donates ventilators to SGH critical care unit

KUCHING: Two ventilators valued at RM280,000 have been donated to the Medical Critical Care Unit (MCCU) at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) by Yayasan OBYU to strengthen critical care services for seriously ill patients.

According to Yayasan OBYU, the donation was given to address the unit’s shortage of ventilators, which has affected its ability to operate at optimum capacity despite having the necessary beds, trained medical personnel and clinical expertise.

The newly established 13-bed MCCU is the first medical-based intensive care unit in Malaysia, providing specialised treatment for patients suffering from heart, kidney and lung failure, stroke and other serious medical conditions.

One of the ventilators donated by Yayasan OBYU.

Before the MCCU was established, critically ill patients requiring medical intensive care had to be admitted to the hospital’s Intensive Care Units (ICU), where limited bed capacity could result in delays in receiving urgent care.

In its first 10 months of operation, the MCCU treated more than 600 patients, averaging between 50 and 60 patients monthly.

About 80 per cent of these patients require intubation and ventilator support, highlighting the need for adequate equipment to support the unit’s operations.

However, the MCCU currently shares a limited number of ventilators with other ICU units located in a separate building at SGH, creating logistical challenges when equipment has to be transferred between the ICU, MCCU and Neurology High Dependency Unit (NHDU).

The equipment shortage has affected the MCCU’s ability to operate at optimum capacity, with the unit estimated to require six additional ventilators.

The two ventilators donated by Yayasan OBYU are expected to help reduce equipment-sharing constraints and facilitate more timely treatment for critically ill patients at the unit.

The ventilators were received on behalf of SGH by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, SGH director Dr Ngian Hie Ung and MCCU dead Dr Rachel Chin Wei Ven.

Yayasan OBYU was represented by its Board of Trustees led by Datuk Dr Hatta Solhi, while OBYU Group Founder Tan Sri Bustari Yusuf was also present.